The Slaughter Officially Begins!

A few hours later.

On a wide cargo ship.

Zabuza, his right hand wrapped in bandages, sat sternly on the deck, holding his blade in his left hand.

Beside him, the short-statured Haku.

Holding gauze and standing on tiptoe, he was gently cleaning the wounds on Zabuza's shoulder.

The few "lonely souls" watching from afar felt quite resentful.

"Lord Zabuza, do, do you really trust them?"

Haku glanced at Natsume and the others in the distance, asking in a low, worried voice.

Especially that boy who was about his own age—he was simply too strong!

Even now, Haku had not recovered from the shock of being defeated in an instant.

"Haku, you've been with me for a few years now, haven't you?"

"Six years, seven months, and twenty-three days..." Haku answered precisely.

"Then what do you think? On my own, is there really a day I can fight my way back to [Kirigakure]?"

"I... this..."

"It's difficult! Or rather, almost impossible..."

Haku bit his red lips and answered truthfully.

Zabuza sighed.

"Indeed! We are already struggling just to survive the pursuit of the village's Anbu."

"There is simply no possibility of overthrowing the Fourth Mizukage's rule..."

"That brat was right. Even if I saved money for another lifetime, I could never hire enough ninja."

"So, what does it matter whether I trust them or not?"

"All I need is a chance."

"If he can give me such a chance, to let me cast aside all cowardice and fight to the death, that is enough."

"What he seeks? It is not important."

"Whether I will die? That is not important either."

"I am, after all, a sinner who should have died long ago!"

Zabuza replied gloomily, his eyes holding a faint flame that was nearly extinguished.

That was the last shred of expectation he held for the village.

"No, Lord Zabuza, you will not die! You cannot die!"

"Death is the final destination for a ninja. Haku, once we reach the shore, you should slip away."

"Those people shouldn't bother with you. As long as you run fast enough, you should be able to save your life."

Zabuza stared at the boy before him, warning him in a deep voice.

It was as if he were giving his final instructions.

To be honest, in his view.

This trip was almost certain death!

Although those Uchiha ninja were strong, they could never contend against the entire [Kirigakure]!

"I will not leave you, Lord Zabuza! Wherever you are, I will be there too!"

Haku leaned gently against Zabuza's broad shoulder, responding with absolute determination.

His life had been saved by Lord Zabuza.

He would never flee alone!

At this moment.

Farther along the deck, watching this cloying and mushy scene.

Natsume and the others couldn't help but feel a bit nauseated.

They really should just toss this Mist Demon into the sea to feed the fish, so he would stop flaunting his affection so recklessly...

Seeing this, Gin, who was standing nearby, quickly egged him on.

"Young Clan Head, I think that little girl is quite cute and pretty. Why don't you..."

"Pah! He's a boy! Keep your filthy thoughts to yourself!"

"Ah? He's a boy?"

"But, Young Clan Head, didn't you say yourself: as long as they're pretty, that's all that matters. There's no need to be so rigid about gender..."

Natsume jumped up, annoyed, and gave Gin another solid knock on the head.

"Good grief. You don't remember any of the maxims I've said, but you just had to memorize that one, didn't you?"

"Hehehe, just kidding."

"But, Young Clan Leader, honestly."

"Are we really going to head-on clash with the entire Kirigakure?"

Natsume raised an eyebrow: "What, scared?"

Gin: "Of course not."

"It's just, with only a few of us, won't it be a bit too pathetic?"

It wasn't just Gin; even Nichiyo and Tsukihime on the side felt a bit apprehensive after learning this news.

It felt just like Natsume's past life.

It was as insane as a single special forces unit suddenly declaring they would annihilate one of the 'five major powers.'

It was truly hard to have any confidence!

Natsume: "Don't worry, I'm confident."

"It's also time to let you witness my true strength."

"Leave the main force to me later; you guys just handle the clean-up!"

Natsume reassured them with confidence.

At this moment, he possessed: a Sharingan comparable to the Eternal Mangekyo, three S-rank ninjutsu, a divine artifact... plus a five-figure gold coin reserve.

Just dealing with one Kirigakure, he really couldn't imagine any possibility of losing.

Besides, he was already fully geared with semi-god-tier equipment.

If he kept cowering at home, hiding to the extreme, wouldn't that be too boring?

A real man should face things head-on!

He should charge straight into the fray!

Even if, for now, he was still just a boy...

Hearing this, Nichiyo and the others exchanged glances.

They had no choice but to helplessly agree, preparing to go crazy with their Young Clan Leader this one time.

If it really came to it, and they couldn't win, the three of them would fight to the death to buy the Young Clan Leader some time to escape.

"But, why choose Kirigakure?"

Nichiyo asked, puzzled.

Natsume: "Because Kirigakure is easy to bully!"

Nichiyo and the others: ...

Kirigakure: ...

Of course, this "easy to bully" was only relative.

Among the five great hidden villages.

Except for the Hidden Leaf Village, which had baskets full of forbidden jutsu and a pile of cheaters.

The gap in comprehensive strength between the other four major hidden villages wasn't too outrageous.

However.

Because the Third Mizukage and the Fourth Mizukage had both been secretly controlled by others, and they enforced the Bloody Mist Village policy.

This caused internal strife in Kirigakure to be extremely severe.

In the cruel environment of mutual slaughter, only a few students from each Ninja Academy class usually survived to graduate.

Over the years, the number of ninjas in the entire Kirigakure naturally declined sharply, and their overall strength was greatly weakened.

Of course, besides Kirigakure being slightly weaker, there were other reasons as well.

For instance, their own Flame Hidden Village had just been established and urgently needed a major victory to boost its deterrent power.

There was nothing more eye-catching and intimidating than the glorious achievement of head-on defeating one of the five great hidden villages!

Moreover, they had the Mist Demon, Zabuza Momochi, to lead the way.

This war could be entirely characterized as an internal coup within Kirigakure.

He was merely an "outside helper" invited by the Kirigakure ninja.

It was a perfectly justified cause, ensuring that Flame Hidden Village would not be painted as a warmongering, tyrannical force.

Furthermore, the Vault of Kirigakure was incredibly tempting! It was high time to "rob the rich to help the poor."

Finally.

If he truly managed to topple Kirigakure and bring the Land of Water to its knees.

By then, there would be no constraints left in the surrounding seas.

His own Maritime Trade Company would be able to operate unimpeded across the dozen or so neighboring nations, vigorously expanding maritime trade.

He could even extend his market into the populous Land of Water and rake in a massive fortune.

By that calculation.

Was it four birds with one stone, or five?

Whatever.

In short, the benefits were plentiful, and it was a battle worth fighting!

This was the true reason Natsume intended to move against Kirigakure.

It was absolutely not because he was short-sighted and greedy for Zabuza's ten million ryo reward.

And it was certainly not because he was after those fresh, delicate female ninja of Kirigakure!

Just like that, the cargo ship pushed its engines to the limit.

After sailing for the better part of the day, they finally arrived at a port in the Land of Water by dusk.

On the docks, all the common laborers had been cleared away, leaving only cargo ships moored to the shore, drifting silently.

"They're here!"

Zabuza stood up, gripping his blade, his expression grave as he looked toward the distant port.

Clearly, with his keen intuition, he had already sensed the countless murderous intentions hidden on the shore.

"Who?"

Zabuza: "The Anbu of Kirigakure."

Gin: "As expected of Anbu ninja, they arrived quickly!"

Zabuza: "If you leave now, there is still time. Their target should only be me..."

Natsume chuckled softly and cracked his knuckles.

"Enough. You can barely swing your blade, so why keep up the act?"

"Step aside and make it quick."

"Keep your eyes open and watch closely—this is what true killing efficiency looks like!"

Natsume took a few strides forward.

He reached the prow of the cargo ship, facing the large number of Kirigakure ninja hidden within the port.

Then, he grabbed with his right hand.

A short blade, solidified from dense chakra, instantly appeared in his grasp.

Clearly, he didn't need the Kunwu Blade to slaughter these small-fry ninja.

The next moment.

Natsume tapped his toes, and his figure vanished in an instant.

The slaughter had officially begun!